Owners of the commuter rail system Virginia Railway Express on Thursday signed off on a five-year, $155 million agreement to purchase the Manassas Line, allowing the system to enhance service reliability and provide control over stations and schedules between Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia.

The Manassas Line originates at Union Station in Washington, D.C., and goes to Broad Run in Prince William County.

The move will give the rail system ownership of Seminary Yard in Alexandria, allowing the system to enhance the existing freight rail yard and construct a midday storage facility. The ownership rights will also give VRE the Broad Run Corridor from Alexandria to Broad Run, the permanent easement to five station platforms and the permanent commuter rail operating easement along the Manassas Line.

On Thursday night, the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Potomac and Rappahannock River Transportation Commission, co-partners of VRE, officially voted at separate meetings to authorize the VRE chief executive officer to execute a funding agreement with the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA).

The agreement is part of VRE’s System Plan 2050 designed to help officials address the public’s changing travel patterns, including those of commuting office workers, which have shifted over the past decade. The plan is also focused on maximizing daily riders and expanding daily service offering non-peak and weekend service.

“This is a long-term investment towards the future,” said NVTC Vice Chair Sarah Bagley at the meeting. She also serves as chair of the VRE Operations Board.

The decision by the governing bodies comes after VPRA and Norfolk Southern Railway Company agreed to purchase the Manassas Line last summer. In its Manassas Line Funding Agreement with VPRA, VRE committed to a multi-year funding schedule in exchange for four railroad property interests along the Manassas Line.

The groups said the properties are “critical” to VRE’s current and future commuter rail operations.

The agreement does not identify the specific source or sources of funds for each scheduled payment. However, the deal does provide a general framework for the funding commitment.

Under the agreement, VRE is committing to contributing $155 million to VRPA in six approximately equal payments. The final payment is expected to be on July 10, 2029.

The NVTC board discussed that while the agreement appears to be an added cost, investing in acquiring the railroad properties will create savings by cutting back on the rising costs of storing rail cars and leasing the Manassas Line.

VRE Chief Financial Officer Mark Schofield said on Thursday having its storage yard could also allow the system to enable other operators to store their railcars.

“The property acquisition piece of this was not something that we had maybe contemplated a couple of years ago, but we are making a very positive trade in terms of the cost of the midday storage yard,” Schofield said on Thursday.

Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw added, “We can’t just pick up the railcars and move them to some other track. We’re captured (and) that’s always a challenging negotiation.”

RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) — The Virginia Department of Health was notified of a confirmed case of measles at Washington Dulles International Airport on Wednesday.

The confirmed case involved an individual returning from an international trip. Health officials are coordinating efforts to identify those who might have been exposed.

According to the VDH, the exposure happened in Terminal A on the transportation to the main terminal and in the baggage claim area between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Measles is described by the VDH as a highly contagious illness that can spread easily through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. Measles symptoms usually appear in two stages. In the first stage, people experience a fever greater than 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a cough. These symptoms typically start seven to 14 days after being exposed.

The second stage starts three to five days after symptoms start when a rash begins to appear on the face and spread to the rest of the body.

According to the VDH, people with measles are contagious from four days before the rash appears through four days after the rash appeared.

Additionally, the VDH provided recommendations for those who were at the above location at the specified date and time:

If you have not received a vaccine containing measles you may be at risk for developing measles
Anyone exposed or considered to be at risk should contact their health provider
Watch your symptoms until March 26 and if you develop symptoms immediately isolate yourself at home
Contact your health provider right away and call the office prior to going to the office or emergency room to notify them that you have been exposed to measles
Anyone with an immunocompromised condition should should consult with their healthcare provider if they have any questions or develop any symptoms
If you have received two doses of a vaccine containing measles or were born before 1957 you are protected and do not need to take action
If you have received only one dose of a vaccine containing measles you are likely to be protected and your risk from exposure is low
To achieve full immunity contact your healthcare provider about getting a second dose of the vaccine

If you have any questions about potential exposure, contact your healthcare provider or call VDH at (804) 363-2704.

NORFOLK, Va. — A controversial local brewery announced it is planning to relocate.

Armed Forces Brewing Company (AFBC) opened in Norfolk in 2024.

In a statement, the brewery told us it is closing its Norfolk location and "we had chosen Norfolk because of the large military and veteran community ... unfortunately our ability to profitably operate in Norfolk was severely impacted by a local woke mob."

The location used to house O'Connor Brewing before it closed in 2023. AFBC announced it would take over the space and have it be home to their headquarters and inaugural brewing facility.

However, multiple local civic leagues came out against the brewery's request for a conditional use permit due to AFBC shareholder and veteran Robert O’Neill sharing anti-LGBTQ rhetoric online, including calling members of the LGBTQ community "pedophiles."

Despite the opposition, Norfolk City Council ultimately approved the permits, allowing AFBC to operate.

In its statement announcing its relocation, AFBC CEO Alan Beal said the business was "severely affected" from "a few individuals" who "spread outright lies about our company, our employees, and our shareholders before we even opened our doors."

Beal said it created a "toxic environment" and that they would relocate to a "more pro-small business social and economic climate."

Beal also said, "In our situation, these actions have been so egregious that we plan to file criminal complaints in Virginia against some of the perpetrators and intend to assist with prosecuting them."

There is no word yet on where the brewery is considering relocating.

cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/23529662

cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/23529644

A naturalized Hispanic man says he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who were looking for another person on a deportation order, and now the man is questioning his vote for President Donald Trump.

Jensy Machado said he is a U.S. citizen and provided News4 documentation of his legal status.

Machado said he was driving to work Wednesday with two other men when he was stopped by ICE agents on Lomond Drive in Manassas, a short distance from his home. He said he was confused by what was happening, why agents surrounded the pickup truck.

“And they just got out of the car with the guns in their hands and say, turn off the car, give me the keys, open the window, you know,” Machado told Telemundo 44’s Rosbelis Quinoñez, who first reported his story. “Everything was really fast.”

He said the agents said the name of a man they were seeking for a deportation order, someone who had given Machado’s home address. Machado told them that wasn’t his name — he didn’t know anyone by that name — and offered to show them his real ID compliant Virginia driver’s license.

“They didn’t ask me for any ID,” Machado said. “I was telling the officer, if I can give him ID, but he said just keep my hands up, not moving. After that, he told me to get out of the car and put the handcuffs on me. And then he went to me and said how did I get into this country and if I was waiting for a court date or if I have any case. And I told him I was an American citizen, and he looked at his other partner like, you know, smiling, like saying, can you believe this guy? Because he asked the other guy, ‘Do you believe him?’”

Machado said he was uncuffed and immediately released after showing his driver’s license.

The two men with him were taken into custody. He does not know why.

Machado said the experience shook his faith in the immigration enforcement efforts of Trump, for whom he voted.

“Because, like I said, I was a Trump supporter,” he said. “I voted for Trump last election, but, because I thought it was going to be the things, you know, like, … just go against criminals, not every Hispanic looking, like, that they will assume that we are all illegals.”

cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/23529644

A naturalized Hispanic man says he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who were looking for another person on a deportation order, and now the man is questioning his vote for President Donald Trump.

Jensy Machado said he is a U.S. citizen and provided News4 documentation of his legal status.

Machado said he was driving to work Wednesday with two other men when he was stopped by ICE agents on Lomond Drive in Manassas, a short distance from his home. He said he was confused by what was happening, why agents surrounded the pickup truck.

“And they just got out of the car with the guns in their hands and say, turn off the car, give me the keys, open the window, you know,” Machado told Telemundo 44’s Rosbelis Quinoñez, who first reported his story. “Everything was really fast.”

He said the agents said the name of a man they were seeking for a deportation order, someone who had given Machado’s home address. Machado told them that wasn’t his name — he didn’t know anyone by that name — and offered to show them his real ID compliant Virginia driver’s license.

“They didn’t ask me for any ID,” Machado said. “I was telling the officer, if I can give him ID, but he said just keep my hands up, not moving. After that, he told me to get out of the car and put the handcuffs on me. And then he went to me and said how did I get into this country and if I was waiting for a court date or if I have any case. And I told him I was an American citizen, and he looked at his other partner like, you know, smiling, like saying, can you believe this guy? Because he asked the other guy, ‘Do you believe him?’”

Machado said he was uncuffed and immediately released after showing his driver’s license.

The two men with him were taken into custody. He does not know why.

Machado said the experience shook his faith in the immigration enforcement efforts of Trump, for whom he voted.

“Because, like I said, I was a Trump supporter,” he said. “I voted for Trump last election, but, because I thought it was going to be the things, you know, like, … just go against criminals, not every Hispanic looking, like, that they will assume that we are all illegals.”

A naturalized Hispanic man says he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who were looking for another person on a deportation order, and now the man is questioning his vote for President Donald Trump.

Jensy Machado said he is a U.S. citizen and provided News4 documentation of his legal status.

Machado said he was driving to work Wednesday with two other men when he was stopped by ICE agents on Lomond Drive in Manassas, a short distance from his home. He said he was confused by what was happening, why agents surrounded the pickup truck.

“And they just got out of the car with the guns in their hands and say, turn off the car, give me the keys, open the window, you know,” Machado told Telemundo 44’s Rosbelis Quinoñez, who first reported his story. “Everything was really fast.”

He said the agents said the name of a man they were seeking for a deportation order, someone who had given Machado’s home address. Machado told them that wasn’t his name — he didn’t know anyone by that name — and offered to show them his real ID compliant Virginia driver’s license.

“They didn’t ask me for any ID,” Machado said. “I was telling the officer, if I can give him ID, but he said just keep my hands up, not moving. After that, he told me to get out of the car and put the handcuffs on me. And then he went to me and said how did I get into this country and if I was waiting for a court date or if I have any case. And I told him I was an American citizen, and he looked at his other partner like, you know, smiling, like saying, can you believe this guy? Because he asked the other guy, ‘Do you believe him?’”

Machado said he was uncuffed and immediately released after showing his driver’s license.

The two men with him were taken into custody. He does not know why.

Machado said the experience shook his faith in the immigration enforcement efforts of Trump, for whom he voted.

“Because, like I said, I was a Trump supporter,” he said. “I voted for Trump last election, but, because I thought it was going to be the things, you know, like, … just go against criminals, not every Hispanic looking, like, that they will assume that we are all illegals.”

cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/23455032

"It broke my heart," retired Army Staff Sergeant Alexzandria Hunt said. "It made me feel like nothing, like I didn't matter, like I was just a number." Author: Hannah Eason Amado Published: 11:25 AM EST March 5, 2025 Updated: 12:15 PM EST March 5, 2025

HAMPTON, Va. — When a storm blanketed Hampton Roads with a foot of snow last month, retired Army Staff Sergeant Alexzandria "Alex" Hunt says she stayed a little later during her shift at the Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

She ensured hospice patients had extra diapers, oxygen tanks were squared away and departments were properly stocked with batteries. She says she volunteered to work extra hours simply because they were short staffed.

But on Feb. 25, she was notified that she was terminated from her position based on her work performance.

"I broke down right then and there," said Hunt, who was a supply technician. "I was blindsided."

Hunt was fired as part of the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce. So far, the Department of Veterans Affairs has cut approximately 2,400 employees. The VA stated that the layoffs primarily affected probationary employees with less than two years of service and could include “DEI-related positions.”

Congressman Bobby Scott brought Hunt as his special guest to President Trump's address to Congress Tuesday night.

Hunt said she gives 100% toward her career, particularly regarding the military and caring for others. Her supervisor told her that she was doing an amazing job, and other staff members said the same thing, she said.

"It broke my heart," Hunt said. "It made me feel like nothing, like I didn't matter, like I was just a number."

Hunt says she was passionate about her work, and her "staff sergeant" nature made her passionate about taking care of soldiers and equipment.

She said one of the hardest parts was explaining to her patients that she wouldn't be returning, especially those who aren't able to see family very often.

"You get to a first name basis and then they feel comfortable opening up to you. By firing us, you take that away from them as well," Hunt said.

RELATED: Defense Department layoffs would significantly impact Virginia veterans, Rep. Kiggans says

Hunt said the relationships she built with older veterans can be difficult to earn. But once that trust was built, it became much easier to communicate with them.

"We all still work together as a team to give them the best, utmost care because they deserve that," Hunt said. "We brighten their days, and then to have that just taken away."

"How do you think the vets feel as well? They're heartbroken just as we are."

Hunt said other individuals at the Hampton VA were fired, including one colleague who recently became inventory manager, a career switch that allowed him to spend more time with his family.

"It broke my heart," retired Army Staff Sergeant Alexzandria Hunt said. "It made me feel like nothing, like I didn't matter, like I was just a number." Author: Hannah Eason Amado Published: 11:25 AM EST March 5, 2025 Updated: 12:15 PM EST March 5, 2025

HAMPTON, Va. — When a storm blanketed Hampton Roads with a foot of snow last month, retired Army Staff Sergeant Alexzandria "Alex" Hunt says she stayed a little later during her shift at the Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

She ensured hospice patients had extra diapers, oxygen tanks were squared away and departments were properly stocked with batteries. She says she volunteered to work extra hours simply because they were short staffed.

But on Feb. 25, she was notified that she was terminated from her position based on her work performance.

"I broke down right then and there," said Hunt, who was a supply technician. "I was blindsided."

Hunt was fired as part of the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce. So far, the Department of Veterans Affairs has cut approximately 2,400 employees. The VA stated that the layoffs primarily affected probationary employees with less than two years of service and could include “DEI-related positions.”

Congressman Bobby Scott brought Hunt as his special guest to President Trump's address to Congress Tuesday night.

Hunt said she gives 100% toward her career, particularly regarding the military and caring for others. Her supervisor told her that she was doing an amazing job, and other staff members said the same thing, she said.

"It broke my heart," Hunt said. "It made me feel like nothing, like I didn't matter, like I was just a number."

Hunt says she was passionate about her work, and her "staff sergeant" nature made her passionate about taking care of soldiers and equipment.

She said one of the hardest parts was explaining to her patients that she wouldn't be returning, especially those who aren't able to see family very often.

"You get to a first name basis and then they feel comfortable opening up to you. By firing us, you take that away from them as well," Hunt said.

RELATED: Defense Department layoffs would significantly impact Virginia veterans, Rep. Kiggans says

Hunt said the relationships she built with older veterans can be difficult to earn. But once that trust was built, it became much easier to communicate with them.

"We all still work together as a team to give them the best, utmost care because they deserve that," Hunt said. "We brighten their days, and then to have that just taken away."

"How do you think the vets feel as well? They're heartbroken just as we are."

Hunt said other individuals at the Hampton VA were fired, including one colleague who recently became inventory manager, a career switch that allowed him to spend more time with his family.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The tank housing the historic USS Monitor's gun turret was drained for the first time in years while undergoing conservation efforts at The Mariners’ Museum and Park in Newport News, and will be on display for the public to see next month.

The Mariners’ Conservation Team said the turret is normally submerged in 90,000 gallons of an alkaline solution that must be periodically changed; it's a multi-step process that results in the addition of 7,500 pounds of sodium hydroxide to the tank.

The turret tank is currently empty of solution and is being inspected to evaluate the treatment process. The Mariners’ Conservation Team said the draining also allows them the potential to eventually flip the turret that has been upside down since its discovery.

The 115-ton revolving gun turret spent nearly 140 years on the ocean floor after the Civil War ironclad warship sank during a storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in 1862. It was the first of its kind to be used in combat, and represented a major technological advancement in naval warfare at the time.

In 1973, the warship’s wreckage was discovered and in 1975 -- under the management of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) -- the Monitor was designated as the nation’s first National Marine Sanctuary.

In 1987, The Mariners’ Museum and Park was selected by NOAA to be the principal repository for recovered Monitor-related materials and items. Through the collective expertise of divers, archaeologists, engineers, the US Navy, NOAA, Mariners’ personnel, and countless others, the turret was raised from the Atlantic Ocean in August 2002.

The massive artifact was then transferred via a barge to The Mariners’ via barge.

“Every time we drain the tank, the turret remains as impressive as the first time I saw it! To be able to see its scale and know the impact that it had on world history makes being part of its conservation and preservation both extremely rewarding and humbling,” said Mariners’ Director of Conservation, Will Hoffman when speaking on his involvement in the turret’s conservation.

According to the Mariners’ Conservation Team, the goal of the treatment is to remove corrosion-inducing ocean salts before the artifact can be dried and put on display.

The draining also coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Monitor wreckage site’s designation as a National Marine Sanctuary.

Since the turret is typically underwater, the public’s ability to see it is limited.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 8 visitors will have a rare opportunity to get an unobstructed, close-up view of the historical artifact during The Mariners’ annual Battle of Hampton Roads Commemoration Day.

The current minimum wage in Virginia is $12.41.

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Two people are dead after being shot in a parking lot on West 49th Street in the area of Broderick Dining Commons on the Old Dominion University campus Wednesday night, Norfolk and ODU police said.

ODU Police said that, at around 9:50 p.m., two people, later identified as 18-year-old Delanio M. Vick and 20-year-old Timothy G. Williams, suffered injuries from a shooting that took place in parking lot 3 in the 1400 block of W. 49th St. ODU and Norfolk police said neither person is a student nor affiliated with the university. The two who were injured were taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where they later succumbed to their injuries.

A campus lockdown has been lifted after both ODU and Norfolk police said there was no further threat to the campus community. An ODU Urgent Alert issued earlier in the evening stated there was a suspect at large, ODU Police said. There was no word early Thursday morning on whether a suspect is in custody.

Norfolk Police said the shooting occurred in a parking lot near the Broderick Dining Commons.

“We are deeply saddened by the unnecessary violence that occurred overnight on the campus of Old Dominion University,” Norfolk Police Chief Mark Talbot said. “Students attend a university to learn, and deserve to feel safe in their environment while doing so. We appreciate the strong partnership we have with the men and women of the Old Dominion University Police Department and all of their assistance both last night at the scene and today as we investigate this double homicide. Chief Sheldon and I will continue to work closely together to ensure that our teams have the resources they need to hold those who are responsible for this violence accountable for their actions.”

Joshua McCauley, director and campus minister for the Wesley Foundation at ODU and a ministry of the United Methodist Church, said he had been at the nearby Wesley Center for an event Wednesday evening and had just left to go home when he got the ODU Urgent Alert about an active shooter on campus and returned to the center.

“One of the rules of the chaplain is to make sure that we’re here to support our students,” McCauley said. “I’m happy to serve as a part of one of the university chaplains and the university chaplain association so I wanted to make sure students had a space to turn to when disasters like this take place.”

McCauley said “it’s disheartening [for it] to be here on our campus. I know there’ll be a lot of pain, and a lot of worry and anxiety amongst students. I’ve already been texting quite a few of them, checking in and making sure they’re OK and making sure they know that Wesley is open for them and a space for them to be.

“We’ve got some work to do here to heal.”

An emergency alert was sent by email, phone and text at 10:01 p.m. advising the campus community to stay indoors. At 11:43 p.m., ODU sent another emergency alert to lift the shelter-in-place.

ODU Police said walk-in counseling services will be available Thursday for students. The Office of Counseling Services can be reached at 757-683-4401, and appointments can be made online.